604 TRIBES OF THE UPPER MISSOURI [BTH. ANN. 40 



long and rapid marches, are compelled to leave such marks behind, 

 or some of their warriors would ramble about for months searching 

 for their homes, which would be extremely inconvenient should they 

 be driving before them a herd of their enemies' horses. The in- 

 formation conveyed by this system of writing is complete as far as 

 it is intended, which is only to represent leading and general facts, 

 and is not nor could it be applied to minute details. All warriors 

 read and understand the devices of their enemies and most of them 

 practice it when necessary, but the direction to war pursued by the 

 Cree and Assiniboin in the summer, being over plains, there are no 

 places noted as their usual encampments, and timber is seldom 

 found ; they therefore practice this manner of writing less than the 

 others, owing to the probable uncertainty of their being found by 

 their friends. In the winter, however, it is occasionally done by 

 them when their way lies along some river, and their encampments 

 are found by the small forts in which they have slept every night 

 being left standing. 



The same species of intelligence is sometimes left in hunting 

 grounds with the view of announcing to any of their own nation 

 who are supposed to pass the same way that the game, as denoted 

 by the carcasses round, has been killed by friends, not war parties of 

 enemies, intimating to them the direction and situation of their 

 camp, that meat may be had there, that a juncture of forces is de- 

 sirable, etc. The number and kind of game taken are not painted 

 as the heads of the animals around would show that, but it, too, 

 could be explained if wished. 



These devices are generally drawn on some dry tree without the 

 bark, the characters being cut in the wood and filled up with 

 vermilion mixed with grease to prevent it being washed off by rain. 

 Pieces of bark and portions of skins are used, and in default of 

 either soft stone will answer. Powder dissolved in water is used to 

 mark on the skin, the impression being made with a pointed stick, 

 inked and pressed forcibly on the skin. 



The meaning of every mark is fixed and exact, understood by the 

 mass of warriors of all tribes, not confined, to or practiced by the 

 priests unless their situation in traveling be the same as the warriors 

 or hunters and they desire in like manner to convey some information 

 to the nation. The foregoing purposes in different forms are the 

 only ones to which we have had the opportunity of witnessing the 

 application of these devices. Perhaps they are the only cases as yet 

 necessary for their present operations, but there would be no diffi- 

 culty in their picturing the passage of whites or other nations through 

 their country should it be required, and the same be intelligible to 

 them. 



